John Brooks goes to the Dentist

 

John Brooks had his first official dental visit yesterday. His pediatrician recommended he begin going to the dentist at his 2 year old well-check so naturally we finally made the appointment almost 2 and 1/2 years later.  

Before you begin worrying about his dental health, he has been brushing for those 2 and 1/2 years and I have made the occasional visual assessment to check for anything obviously out of place.

We chose to take him to a pediatric dentist because we wanted him to have a positive experience in the hope of a life-long appreciation for good oral hygiene. A new practice has opened up about 30 minutes from our home and one of the DMDs is the husband of John Brooks’ pediatrician so it was an easy choice once we got around to making it.

The office was adorable. It had a “swamp” theme with cool trees painted on the walls and even a couple of statues of cuter versions of a turtle and an alligator. There were fun toys to play with and even a wall with a few tablets for the kids to play on while they waited to be seen.

The hygienist called for John and it took me a minute to realize she meant my kid and then we walked back to the cleaning area. The hygienist did an excellent job of explaining everything she did and the uses of all of her tools. John Brooks was most impressed by the tablet above his head with the headphones that he could watch movies on AND of course the “Mr. Squeegee” tool that sucks the water out of your mouth.

He was a little concerned a couple of times while she was cleaning and FLOSSING (for the first time ever btw) his teeth but was very polite and (thankfully) didn’t completely freak out. Once he got used to the idea of someone messing with his teeth he relaxed and even crossed his legs at the ankles at one point so he could be super comfy while watching “Bespicable Me”.

Dr. Charlotte, the other dentist in the group, came and “counted” John Brooks teeth. She recommended that we start flossing with him at home. They also suggested that we wait and take x-rays at his next visit so as to make the 1st visit a positive experience. I loved that they put so much thought into his feelings. He finished his visit with a goody bag that included a new “Lightning McQueen” toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a cool t-shirt.  

I think that they achieved the goal of a “positive experience” because as we were leaving, John Brooks asked if we could go back tomorrow.